OP, OC, OS
by duaba
Summary: A collection of One Shots revolving around my OCs from One Piece. Starting from Rei (from Zoro & the Mask, R: Road to my Nakama, and Green Heart) and will later have Nana (from Steel Heart). Enjoy and open to prompts, challenges, suggestions, etc.
1. Laundry Day

**A/N:** Welcome to a glimpse of the days at sea when the Straw Hats are on their way to their next adventures!

These one shots will not be in any sort of chronological orders and are just going to be determined by what I think would be fun to write! Please leave any prompts or suggestions :)

* * *

 **Laundry Day**

"Check mate," Rei murmured, sliding the bishop across the chess board and looking calmly over at the Heart Pirate.

It was a quiet afternoon for the Straw Hats while they made their way from Punk Hazard to Dressrosa. Everyone was doing their own thing around the ship and it seemed like a normal day. However, the Heart Pirate did not share that sentiment and everyone could feel his anxiety and anticipation to get to their destination. Thus, Rei had suggested a game of chess to keep the Heart Pirate occupied. She was itching to play a game anyways. Soon, one game turned into three with Rei as the definitive winner.

Law's lazy expression did not move as he leaned back in his chair. "Well done, Rei-ya. Well done, indeed."

"You're much better than everyone else here," Rei admitted, "I had to change my strategy a couple of times."

"I don't think I've ever been beaten before," Law said, "So this is quite an experience."

Rei smiled softly. "Defeat is sometimes more valuable than victory."

"Not in this case," Law grumbled, "The only thing I'm taking away from this is a bruised ego."

"Does this mean you don't want to play another game?" Rei asked.

Law was about to answer but was interrupted by the cook, who came out of the kitchen carrying two hampers in each hand and a cigarette pressed tightly between his lips. "Alright, everyone. It's laundry day!"

He placed the hampers in the middle of the lawn deck. "Idiots, put all your dirty rags in the blue hampers. Nami-swan, Robin-chwan, and Rei-chwan, please put your precious clothing in the pink ones! Remember, whites and colors are to be separated."

Rei looked over at Law. "If you want to wash your clothes, I'm sure someone can lend you something to wear and we can-"

"I'm fine, Rei-ya," Law interrupted curtly as he began to reset the board for a new game.

"Why is it everytime Sanji does laundry we always have to sort our clothes? It takes so long for him to do it, especially since he always does the girls' first and leaves ours in a messy pile in the middle of the lawn deck," Usopp muttered to Chopper as they trudged towards their room to fetch their dirty clothes, "He also left a couple of cigarette burns in some of my old tshirts."

"I know," Chopper agreed, "I like it when Rei does it. She's the most efficient and remembers which clothes belong to who so it's all sorted when we get it back. She also folds mine for me and leaves it on my bed."

Usopp shot a wistful look over at the tactician and then he noticed who she was sitting with. A lightbulb went off in his head and a devilish smile crept over his face. He rubbed his hands together and looked over at his reindeer friend. "Chopper, can you get my clothes for me? I have to discuss something with those two."

"What?! Why should I do your work for you?" Chopper complained.

Usopp lifted his chin, sticking his nose into the air. "There's a secret alliance meeting going on right now between me, Rei, and Tra-guy," he lied, "They asked for my help because they need to strategize our plan of attack when we get to Dressrosa so I can't miss it."

"Whoahhhh! They did?!" Chopper squeaked.

Usopp nodded. "Yes, even they need the help of my legendary tactical mind." He then looked sternly at his friend, "But it's a secret so don't tell anyone, okay? The success of our plan is to keep everything quiet. I'm counting on you to help get my laundry as that is also vital to our victory. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes sir!" Chopper nodded dutifully and scurried into the room.

The mischievous grin returned to the sniper's face and he marched over to the chess game, grabbing the cook by the arm while he walked past.

"Oy! Usopp. What the hell are you doing?" Sanji shouted.

"Giving you a chance of a lifetime," Usopp hissed back, not breaking stride.

Rei looked up from her chess piece and looked solemnly at the sniper and the cook. "Did you two want to play too?" she asked.

"Actually, I have a proposition for you, Tra-guy," Usopp said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one else was around to hear him.

If it was surprising to the Heart Pirate, he didn't show it as he stared at the sniper. "What do you want, Nose-ya?," he asked coolly.

"Back at Punk Hazard," Usopp said and he pointed at Sanji, "You switched his body with Nami's, right?"

Law nodded. "That is correct."

"Can you switch his with Rei's?" Usopp requested.

Rei's eyes widened as Sanji took a less subtle approach. "WHAT?! To have the honor of not only experiencing Nami-swan's sexy body but Rei-chwan's delicate one as well?!"

Law only lifted an eyebrow and pursed his lips. "Why would you want me to do that? And more importantly, why should I do it?"

Usopp smirked. "Because, I'd rather have Rei do our laundry than this cigarette smoking idiot here but Nami is so strict on our duty delegations she would never allow us to substitute for each other. And you'll do it because…"

He nudged Sanji, who caught on immediately. "Because if you don't, I'll bake bread and only bread for all the meals you have on this ship."

An enraged look came over Law's face while Rei looked curiously between the sniper and the cook. "If you need help with the laundry, Sanji, I can lend a hand and-"

"No, Nami-swan would only get mad at me, thinking I was shirking my duties," Sanji said. _And in Rei-chan's body, I can finally enter the forbidden wonderland, the Girls' Quarters!_

"Besides, you'll be helping out me and Chopper," Usopp insisted, "A good friend would do it for her nakama."

Rei glanced across the chess board and was met with the stony glare of the Heart Pirate, who did not take kindly to being threatened, especially by something as trivial as bread. "Rei-ya," he said lowly, "Don't tell me you're okay with this."

Rei blinked back at him. "I want to be a good nakama."

A sullen look came over Law's face and he mentally counted to ten. "Fine," he grunted, "It's not like we're doing much else anyways."

Sanji grinned. "Come on. Let's do it in the kitchen so no one else sees."

He hooked his arm around Usopp's shoulder. "You're a genius! I owe you one," he muttered to the sniper.

* * *

"This is weird," Rei, in Sanji's body, said as she saw the kitchen through Sanji's eyes. He was a few inches taller than her and she wasn't used to suddenly seeing everything partially elevated. Law sat comfortably on the bench with his nodachi leaning against his shoulder, happily eating an onigiri that Sanji had made for him as a peace offering.

"Whoah, Rei-chan, your body is completely different than Nami-san's," Sanji, in Rei's body, breathed as he flexed her muscles and did some squats. He grabbed Rei's breasts. "Very different."

Usopp smacked Sanji-Rei over the head, "Watch it! Or else I'll sic Zoro on you."

Rei-Sanji smiled, not really registering what Sanji had just done. "Thank you," she said, "I worked hard to get my body that way."

"Listen," Usopp said with his hands on his hips, "Because you two still sound like yourselves, you need to not speak around the others, otherwise it'll give it away."

"Aren't we just hiding this from Nami?" Rei asked, "Why would it matter if anyone else knows?"

"Chopper, Brook, and Luffy can't keep a secret for the life of them," Usopp said, counting off with his fingers, "Franky and Robin would most likely disapprove of what we're doing...and do you really want to tell Zoro?"

Rei-Sanji thought about it and she shook her head. "You're right. It would only make him angry knowing that we're wasting time instead of training."

 _That's not why..._ All three men thought with a sweat drop.

"I guess I'll go start laundry then," Rei-Sanij said and walked towards the door kitchen. She then paused and looked over at herself, "Please don't smoke in my body."

"I won't, Rei-chan," Sanji-Rei promised.

The door swung shut behind her as she made her way to the lawn deck. She nodded politely to Brook, who was playing his violin along the deck. His clothes and Franky's were already in the hampers but their's were the only ones. She carried the hampers over first to the girls' quarters and she knocked on the door. Robin answered and smiled at her.

"Cook," Robin greeted and then she saw the hampers in her hand, "Oh! Is it laundry day already?"

She kept the door open so Rei could see that Nami was inside as well. She waved awkwardly at Nami at the navigator, who gave her a weird look before questioningly returning the gesture.

Rei-Sanji left the pink hampers at the door before heading over to the men's quarters, just as Sanji brushed past her in her own body. _I hope he remembers where I told him my clothes were,_ Rei thought to herself as she entered the male domain, _It would be such a waste to clean an already clean set of laundry._

Luffy was napping and snoring loudly on his top bunk, while Chopper rushed over with a pile of Usopp's clothes in his hands. "Here you go, Sanji! I'll bring over Luffy's since he's not awake to do it himself."

Rei-Sanji nodded at the reindeer. Her eyes scanned over the different dressers lining against the wall. _Sanji said his dresser was the one next to Zoro's...but which one is that?_

"Oy! Get out of my way, you shitty cook."

Instinctively, she whirled around and raised a leg high up into the air to block an incoming hit from the hilt of Zoro's sword. She stared wide eyed at the scowling swordsman as she could feel Sanji's blood boil. It was as if Sanji's body was physically opposed to him.

"What's with that look?" the swordsman grunted as he withdrew his weapon and entered the doorway, giving Rei-Sanji a hard knock on the shoulder as he moved past her, "Surprised I still have this much energy after my long work out?"

He stood in front of his dresser, which was the one tucked in the corner of the room. _If that's his dresser...,_ Rei thought as she rushed over to the dresser on the swordsman's left. She pulled out the top drawer where she found a pile of Sanji's crumpled suit shirts, _Yes! I found it!_

Zoro glanced over at the hampers by the door. "Oh, is it laundry day? Alright, let me give you my clothes and don't think you can pretend that you didn't see my clothes this time!"

She grabbed Sanji's clothes and clutched it tightly to her chest just as the swordsman started to peel off his sweaty clothes, first by removing his arms from his sleeves and then untying his belly band. Rei's eyes ran over the rippling muscles along his arms and back and without warning, she felt blood shoot out of her nose.

"SANJI!" Chopper shrieked.

"What the hell, Mr. Nosebleed?!" Zoro roared as Rei-Sanji hurriedly covered her nose with her hand, letting some of the shirts fall to the ground, "Have you started to prey on men as well now?!"

 _Why is Sanji's body so out of control?!,_ Rei thought in horror, _What is it doing?!_

"Sanji, are you okay?" Chopper pressed, pulling Rei-Sanji's hand down so he could examine the nose, "What happened?"

Rei knew if she spoke up now she would be busted and she wanted to be a good nakama for Usopp and Sanji but she couldn't just stay here with Zoro and Chopper looking at her. Thus, Rei did the only thing that was logical to her. She ran.

Zoro couldn't believe it himself but the love cook had hit an all time high on the skeezy scale. What's next? Peeping at them in the shower? Watching them while they slept? He made a mental note to remind the other guys about this development, especially Franky. With the cyborg prancing around in a speedo and unbuttoned shirt, he was most likely in the most danger.

He looked over at the reindeer. "Chopper, you've studied amputation, right?"

Chopper nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering if you've ever performed a surgical castration before," Zoro muttered as he walked over to close the door to the men's quarters and locked it just in case the cook was coming back. He undressed fully and threw all his clothes into the hamper. He then rummaged through the bottom shelf of his dresser and threw on a black t-shirt and blue board shorts.

"Sanji is acting very weird," Chopper said, eyeing the hamper, "I wonder if that secret meeting with Usopp, Rei, and Law had anything to do with it."

He gasped and clamped his hooves over his mouth. "AH! I wasn't supposed to say anything."

Zoro peered over at the reindeer. "Secret meeting?" he knelt down so that he was eye level to the reindeer, "What's going on?"

Chopper squeaked. "I can't...I'll get Usopp in trouble if I tell you and our victory on Dressrosa would be at stake!"

"Victory?" Zoro asked.

"EEEEEP! I spoke too much again," Chopper cried, "Don't tell Usopp I told you. He told me I shouldn't mention it to anyone. It's strictly between him, Rei, and Law but I also saw him pull Sanji into the meeting so maybe Sanji's in on it too."

Zoro narrowed his eyes and marched towards the door. "I'll get it out of the Know It All."

"Ah! Rei!" he heard Robin gasp from the girls' room just as he walked out.

He ran over to them and pounded on the locked door. "Oy! What's going on?"

He heard a clicking sound and Robin opened the door with one hand while she pulled a floral white shirt down to cover her mid-drift with the other. "We were just undressing to get all our dirty clothes into the hamper when…"

She opened the door wider and Zoro stuck his head in to see the Know It All kneeling catatonically on the floor, with her eyes in a loving daze and two streams of blood coming out of her nose. Nami squatted over her in a lacy pink bra and underwear.

"OY! Know It All!" Zoro shouted, racing over to her and pulling her up to her feet, "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you acting like that shitty love cook?!"

 _Thwack!_

Instantly he was knocked to the side by Nami's punch. "Idiot!" She barked, "Don't just barge into our room. I'm barely dressed!"

"I've seen you wear less fabric than that, Nami," Zoro hissed, "And don't forget about that time you flashed us at Alabasta."

"Yeah, well, you still haven't fully paid off the fee for that," Nami huffed as she went over to her closet and pulled out a pale yellow robe. She wrapped it around herself and glanced over at Rei, who was still very much in a daze.

"She has been acting very weird, especially when she went through her own clothes and got to her underwear section," Nami said, "Then she completely lost it when Robin and I started to undress. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was-"

"Mellorines...so many mellorines...I love ladies."

The three of them gaped at Rei, who had started to mutter in a very manly voice. A very manly but familiar voice.

"Do you think, Traffy-kun swapped people's bodies around again?" Robin mused with her arms folded across her chest.

"I'm going to cut them," Zoro seethed as he got to his feet and raced for the door, "Usopp, Law, Sanji...They're all dead."

Instantly, Robin's arms sprouted in front of the door, blocking his way. He glared at the archaeologist.

"What does Usopp have to do with anything?" Nami asked with her hands on her hips.

"Chopper saw those four talking together earlier," Zoro growled as he roughly pushed all the arms out of the way. They disappeared among a flurry of flower petals, "It had to be about whatever this is. Usopp has always been a prankster."

"Hold it," Nami called after him. She walked over the room so she stood very close to Robin and Zoro. She lowered her voice into a hushed tone and glanced over cautiously at Rei's body. Sanji-Rei was still pretty out of it and Nami gave a satisfied nod towards the historian and swordsman, "Usopp is not the only one who can have some fun with this. Here's my plan…"

* * *

"Please change us back," Rei pleaded to Law and Usopp in the kitchen. She had two rolled up pieces of tissues stuck up Sanji's nose, "I think Zoro and Chopper are already on to me. I don't know if I can keep this up."

"Even if I wanted to," Law said with a shrug, "We need to get Blackleg-ya to come back with your body."

"I'll go get him then," Rei replied but was stopped by Usopp.

"You can't," Usopp said, "Didn't you say he was in the girls' room? You can't go in there, especially if you can't speak. We'll have to wait."

"But-" Rei's sentence was cut off when Nami walked into the kitchen wearing a very scandalous black dress that hugged her in all the right places with a plunging neckline that left little to the imagination. Usopp's jaw dropped as Law's eyes widened at the sight.

"Sanji-kun," she cooed walking over and slipping Rei-Sanji's arm over her shoulder before wrapping her arms around his waist, making sure to press her chest against his body, "Could you come with me for a second?"

"N-N-N-Nami," Usopp gasped, "What are you doing?"

Nami smiled sweetly up at Rei-Sanji, whose mind was racing from the confusion. "Don't mind us, Usopp. I'm just giving Sanji-kun what he always wanted."

Rei's eyes widened as Nami stood on her tippy toes and brushed her lips against Rei-Sanji's ears. "Me," she whispered just loud enough for Usopp and Law to hear.

"WHAAAAAAT?!" Usopp shrieked, grabbing his face in horror.

Rei numbly let Nami pull her out of the kitchen where Robin stood in an equally provocative red dress. Nami held Rei-Sanji firmly by the hand and began to lead her down to the lawn deck. Rei turned to look panickingly at the sniper. _Usopp! Help!_

"W-W-W-Wait a minute!" Usopp shrieked, scrambling out of the kitchen after them, "What's going on?"

Nami smiled and gestured down to the lawn deck where two chairs were set in the middle of the deck facing the same way. One was empty while the other one had a happy Sanji-Rei sitting in it with Robin's many arms holding him down. Zoro scowled over the whole scene from the railing.

Nami pushed Rei-Sanji into the chair and brushed a hand over Rei-Sanji's cheeks. "You've done so much for us, Sanji-kun," Nami said, her voice dripping with honey, "So Robin and I have decided to reward your efforts with a dance."

 _A dance? What kind of dance?_ , Rei thought in confusion.

"Ooh! Party? Are we celebrating something?" Luffy cheered as he and Chopper came out of the men's quarters.

"Oy! If Sanji's the one getting the dance, then why is Rei there?" Usopp demanded, pointing at Sanji-Rei, who was too excited about the possibility of getting a dance from Robin-chan to complain.

"We figured Rei is a little lacking when it comes to these kind of things," Nami said, "So she should get a dance too."

"From you and Robin?" Usopp asked, not quite getting it.

Nami grinned, "Of course not. It would be from-"

"SUPER ME!" Franky shouted as he burst out of the men's rooms wearing a bright yellow tropical shirt and colorful leis around his neck. His head was wrapped in a red scarf with tropical fruit piled high on top of it and he had red maracas in each hand, "Music! Maestro!"

"Yohohohoho," Brook laughed as he pulled out his electric guitar and started to jam.

Sanji-Rei's jaw dropped in horror as the cyborg started to shimmy his way down the steps, while in the corner of his eye, he could see his precious Nami-san leaning over his own body and whispering something into his ears. It was all too much.

"STOP! STOP!" he shouted, "This is torture! Let me get my body back from Rei-chan so I can enjoy Nami-swan's precious dance!"

 _Thwack! Thwack!_

Instantly, a lump formed over Sanji-Rei and Usopp's heads. The first from Nami, who bopped the cook, while the sniper's was from the butt of Zoro's sword.

Robin stared stonily at Sanji and Usopp. "Never, ever take over Rei's body like that," she scolded.

"Yes, ma'am," Sanji-Rei and Usopp gulped.

Franky and Brook stopped in the middle of their performance. "What? So we don't get to finish the song?" Franky pouted.

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughed, "I don't know what's going on but it looks like fun."

Rei-Sanji's eyes went to Zoro, Nami, and then Robin. Nami had whispered "Busted" into her ear during the dance right before Sanji snapped.

"I'm sorry I got in the way of laundry day," she said in sincerity.

"That's not why we're mad!" Nami and Zoro snapped.


	2. Rei & the Big Meanie

**A/N:** Didja think I forgot about this? Mwahahaha

(Still waiting on the Zou arc to progress in the manga before I continue writing for Green Heart but fear not, I WILL finish all my stories. Even if it takes me yeaaarss! Until then, I guess Rei will just have to live on here for a bit.)

Again, if you have any prompts/suggestions feel free to leave a comment/PM me :)

* * *

 **Rei & the Big Meanie**

"Are you sure this is alright?" Rei asked as she looked back at her captain for confirmation. She could barely see him from the dimmed lantern he was holding up in the kitchen. Even the moon that was shining through the window was only at the waning stages so it's light was at the bare minimum.

"Shhh!" Usopp hissed and pressed his finger to his lips for emphasis, "Keep it down, Rei! We don't want Sanji to hear us in here and come barging in!"

Rei returned her focus at the padlock that she held in her hands. "But if this will make Sanji mad...then should we not do this?"

"He won't be mad if _you're_ the one that breaks into the fridge, Rei!" Chopper whispered, "So in a way you have permission to do so. We're just not the ones who are allowed to."

"Besides, the captain ordered you to. Right, Luffy?" Usopp asked and gave Luffy a nudge with his elbow.

"I just want some meat," Luffy replied with conviction and a bit of drool dribbling out the side of his lips.

"Oh, I see," Rei said, "Well, I guess if I could be of help."

With that, she whipped out her daggers and cut the padlock that held captive all the delicious food that her friends were craving for. The chain that wrapped around the fridge fell unto the floor with a heavy thud and Luffy rushed to open the door.

"Yay! Food!" Luffy cried and began to stuff his face with a large salted ham hock.

"Eek! We're making too much noise," Usopp nervously said as he grabbed a couple of donuts from the shelves.

"Ah! Cake! Sanji has cake!" Chopper cheered.

Suddenly, something caught Luffy's eyes and they gleamed with excitement. He finished the ham hock in one gulp and then took out a clear plastic bag with two pink, round fruit in it. Sanji had scrawled something in black marker on the bag and the label was what got Luffy's attention. "It's a meat fruit?! Cool!"

"Actually, that sounds kind of gross," Usopp and Chopper said with a grimace on their face.

Luffy reached into the bag and grabbed one for himself while tossing the other one towards Usopp and Chopper. "It said so on the bag. I wonder if it's a devil fruit…"

"Is there such a thing as a meat meat fruit?" Rei wondered out loud and she began to scan through her mental archives.

Usopp peered at the fruit in hand. "I doubt it. Why would there be too?" he said skeptically and then he sniffed at it, "I think it's just a rare type of fruit but be careful, Luffy. Don't eat it if we don't know what it-"

 _Crunch!_

Usopp and Chopper looked wide eyed at their captain, who had eaten in one big mouthful.

"Ahh! Luffy's going to die!" Chopper wailed.

"I doubt Sanji would keep something poisonous in the fridge...and if it was dangerous, wouldn't he label it Death Fruit' instead?" Rei surmised.

"That's true," Usopp admitted and felt the usual gratitude of having someone level headed for a nakama like Rei and Robin.

"Oy! Oy! Oy! I know you guys are in there. I could hear you guys all the way from my room," came Sanji's angry cry.

"EEEK!" Usopp shrieked and then realized he was still holding unto the fruit. _Crap! I'll be caught red handed._

"Here, Usopp. Let me-" Rei started to say and leaned over towards Usopp to take it out of his hands.

"Rei! You take it!" Usopp said at the same time and shoved it towards her. For a sniper who was deadly accurate when it came to getting things to a target, it was surprising to both him and Rei that he had missed this one entirely and had lodged the front of the fruit into Rei's mouth.

 _Bang!_

The kitchen door flew open and Sanji stood at the entrance. The moonlight was just enough to how the silhouette of the infuriated cook with his hands on his hips and smoke blowing out of his nostrils and out the sides of his lips. Although, it was not quite clear to anyone if the source of the smoke was entirely due to the cigarette balanced on scowling his lips.

 _Crunch. Thud._

All eyes turned towards Rei, who had instinctively taken a bite, and then Sanji's eyes fell on the the fruit that was in the process of rolling away from her. Rei was the only calm one in the bunch. "I was the one that broke into the fridge," she said.

 _Whew_ , Usopp thought, _As long as we say we came in here to stop her and Luffy, Sanji won't get mad at me and Chopper._

"Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy asked me to," she continued.

"Why, Rei?! WHY?!" Usopp cried in anguish. He flinched and braced himself for Sanji's kick but then after a few seconds he realized that the chef had not moved a muscle. Usopp slowly relaxed his body but kept a wary eye on the cook, "Oy...Sanji...Earth to Sanji? Is everything okay?"

"Rei-chan…?" Sanji asked slowly.

"Yes?' Rei replied back.

"Are you feeling okay?" Sanji asked again.

"Yes, I'm fine," Rei said.

"Are you...sure?" Sanji pressed.

"Should I not be?" Rei asked.

Sanji shook his head and a relieved smile grew across his face. "Of course not. I was just worried that the three of them were causing you as big of a headache as they're causing me," he said and instantly flashed death looks on the three guys.

 _Uh oh,_ Usopp and Chopper thought at the same time.

"Oy, Sanji. What's with the meat fruit?" Luffy asked, completely oblivious to everything and still staring into the fridge, "And is there anymore actual meat? All I see are eggs."

"YOU THREE IDIOTS!" Sanji roared as he gave the three of them a late night ass kicking. He paused mid kick and smiled sweetly at Rei, "Rei-chan, it's very late. You should go to bed. Don't let these fools keep you from your beauty rest."

"Oh, okay," Rei said and stifled a yawn while heading for the door, "I am getting pretty tired actually. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Rei-chwannnnn," Sanji sang and as the door swung closed, his smiling expression turned into a demonic glower at his three victims, "Now...back to you three."

 _We're going to die!,_ Usopp and Chopper thought as they clung to one another.

"Do...you...know...what...trouble...you...could've...caused...with...that...fruit?!" Sanji asked, emphasizing every word with a hard kick to their face.

"What? The meat fruit?" the rubber man asked as he casually tried to swat Sanji's foot away as if it was a fly, "I ate it and it was fine."

"NOT THE MEAT FRUIT, YOU ILLITERATE BASTARD!" Sanji roared. He grabbe dhte plastic bag from the floor and held it out so all three of them could see the writing clearly, "Ameathia Fruit! AMEATHIA! Just because the word 'meat' is on it doen't mean it's actually MEAT!"

"Whaff's...an ameffia fruit?" Usopp asked through his broken lip that was starting to swell up like sausages.

"It's a fruit that if eaten while still unripe could cause some SERIOUS side effects," Sanji said, "You're lucky nothing happened to you guys from taking a bite out of it. Probably just finished ripening tonight."

He picked up the remaining, partially bitten fruit from the floor and walked to the sink to rinse it off. "I'll toss this in a salad tomorrow or something…"

"Boo," Luffy pouted, "I don't want salad. I want-"

"GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN WHILE YOU ALL STILL CAN WALK!" Sanji roared.

"Yes, sir!" Usopp and Chopper shrieked as they grabbed Luffy by the back of his collar and scurried out of the kitchen.

"Seriously, when will you guys learn to not do any midnight snack raids?" Nami sighed the next morning as she rubbed a hardboiled egg on Chopper's black eye, "You two always end up being the ones who get hurt."

"We are men," Chopper huffed, "And men must have snacks in the middle of the night."

"What the hell are you teaching Chopper?" Nami yelled at Usopp, who was busy icing his swollen cheek.

"Soup for me, please, Sanji," Usopp pleaded as Sanji began to set out the day's breakfast. They were all crowded around the dining table with the cook being the only one standing.

"You will eat what I serve," Sanji said with zero sympathy and then flashed a smile at Nami, "Fresh squeezed orange juice for you, Nami-swan?"

"Thank you, Sanji-kun," Nami replied.

"Hot coffee to start your day, Robin-chwan?"

"That would be lovely."

"Nice cup of tea for, Rei-huh?"

Sanji looked around the table and then pointed at an empty chair. "Where is Rei-chan?"

"She was still sleeping when I woke up," Nami said.

"Same here," Robin added, "It's not like her to sleep in…"

"You idiots kept her up too late with your stupid stunts!" Sanji roared and he kicked the back of Zoro's chair, "Oy! You shitty morimo, go check to see if Rei-chan is still asleep or if she needs anything."

"Huh?!" Zoro growled as he jumped to his feet and grabbed for his swords, "Who are you to order me around, you pervy cook? And why am I the one to go check up on her?"

"Because I'm busy preparing _your_ breakfast. Unless you want to drink boiled water for the next three meals, go check on Rei-chan!" Sanji ordered.

"I-"

"Just do it, Zoro!" Nami huffed, "You're keeping all of us from eating."

Zoro scowled and readjusted his swords. "Fine," he grunted and stormed out of the kitchen. He went straight to the women's quarters and did not hold anything back while he pounded the door.

 _Thud! Thud! Thud!_

"Oy! Know It All. Wake up! It's time to eat," he barked.

 _Thud! Thud! Thud!_

"Oy! Know It All. Get the hell up. Don't make me break this door down and-"

The door swung open and Zoro's jaw dropped to the floor. The Know It All, the usually calm but obnoxious Know It All, was looking at him with tear-filled eyes and quivering lips. She was in her pajamas and had one hand on the door. The other hand was clutched tightly to her chest. "I-I-I'm...sorry. I overslept," she whimpered, "I didn't mean to anger you."

Heavy tears began to flow down the sides of her face. "Am...Am I in trouble?"

Zoro wasn't sure of what to do or say to her. Fortunately, he knew what to say to someone else. "Chopper!" he roared, "Get over here and heal whatever mental disease this one has!"

It didn't take long for the Straw Hats to all gather at the doorway to see what all the commotion was. Unfortunately for them, the attention she was receiving created another round of frightened whimpering from Rei.

"Oh no! Is everyone mad at me?," she cried and then dove under her covers. She pulled her pillow over her head and hid.

Zoro looked exasperatedly at Chopper. "Well?! What is it?"

"I've never seen anything like it," Chopper breathed, "I honestly...don't know."

"I knew that fruit wasn't ripe yet," Sanji yelled from the back of the group and knocked Luffy, who was standing the closest to him, on the head, "You idiots."

The crew turned to look at the cook, who puffed on his cigarette and then folded his arms over his chest. "Rei and Luffy ate the Ameathia Fruit last night."

"Oh dear," Robin said as she tried to hide a smile with her hand.

"What's the Ameathia Fruit, Sanji-san?" Brook asked.

"It's a fruit that is very nutritious and can help boost one's immune system when eaten while ripe," Sanji said, "It's not very common but I found a couple in the last town we were in so I decided to take some. Just one bite of it can help prevent the common cold for at least a month."

"Whoa. That's some type of super fruit," Franky whistled.

Sanji nodded. "Yes...but only if ripe. If consumed too early...well, it has a nasty side effect."

"What? What is it?" Usopp asked as he imagined horns growing out of Rei and Luffy's heads or a monkey tail coming out of their rear end.

"Whoever eats an unripe fruit basically becomes like a child," Sanji sighed, "They'll act like they are five years old or worse...I've heard of some cases where people start acting like toddlers. They just babble like idiots and have to use diapers."

"That's odd," Luffy said as he began to pick his nose, "I ate it and I feel fine."

"Because you already _act_ like you're five years old!" Sanji snapped, "That's why I wasn't that concerned for you!"

"Wait," Zoro said as he scratched the back of his head, "So what you're telling me is that the Know It All in there, has reverted to her 5 year old self?"

"No," Sanji said, "Not _her_ 5 year old self. A normal 5 year old self. Emotions, temper tantrums, everything. It also means that she-"

"Won't know how to fight," Zoro finished.

"I was going to say that she is not as smart as she usually is," Sanji said with a throbbing vein on his forehead, "But good to know where you're head is at, you meathead."

"Is there anyway to change her back?" Nami asked worriedly.

"She'll eventually ease out of it. The effects aren't permanent," Sanji said, "We'll just have to wait it out."

"She only took a small bite," Chopper added with a hopeful tone, "So maybe it won't last as long as we think it will."

Robin walked over to Rei's bed and she knelt down so that she was eye level to the pillow. "Rei?" she asked gently, "Would you mind eating breakfast with me? I feel very lonely and I could use the company."

The corner of the pillow lifted ever so slightly. Rei's eyes blinked back at Robin and she sniffled. "You want my company?"

Robin nodded, "Yes. I would very much like that...and when we're done eating, we can play on the swings."

Rei's head popped out from under the pillow and she slowly sat up from the bed. She rubbed her reddened nose with the back of her wrist. "Okay," she said softly.

Robin took her hand and led her towards the door. As they passed by the Straw Hats, Rei made a very small request. "But Zoro can't eat with us...He's mean."

"What the hell?!"

"Ahhh! Zoro's yelling at me," Rei wailed.

* * *

"3211," Zoro grunted as he did a squat with the heaviest barbell available on his back, "3212…"

He was working out in the crow's nest by himself, which was fine by him if not for the fact that he was practically banished there by the entire crew. It seemed the only place to be where he didn't have to meet eyes with the Know It- _No...She's not a Know It All anymore_ , Zoro thought grumpily as he did another squat, _She's a crybaby. A big, annoying crybaby._

"3212...Wait no...3213? No...3227?...Crap," Zoro cursed as he lost count for the third time. He dropped the weights and took a break on the bench.

When she was playing on the swings with Robin, she got just high enough to spot him on the top deck doing his sit ups off the railing and she burst into tears when he raised an eyebrow at her.

When she was listening to Brook play the violin on the lawn deck, their eyes had met just for a split second as he was just about to take a nap underneath Nami's tangerine trees. She immediately started crying.

When she was playing tag with Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper, she had accidentally lost her footing and fell on top of Zoro, waking him up instantly. Naturally, he was annoyed and yet everyone else had taken her side when she started to cry from his angry glares. He didn't give a chance to get a word in.

Even when he wasn't even in the same room as her, she was bothering him in some way.

When he was in the kitchen, eating his cold breakfast because he had to wait for Rei and the otehrs to eat before him ("Otherwise you're going to make her cry again," Usopp kept remind him), all he could hear was "Rei! Don't go there!" and "Rei! Don't touch that!".

The only safe place he could go was the crow's nest. No one was ever really up here for the most part. Unless Nami had a map she was still working on or Robin had a new book she wanted to read, Zoro was usually the only one using the space during the day.

He saw the edge of the floor door lift up. When a pair of green eyes met his, he heard a little "Eep!" and the door quickly snapped shut.

"Alright. That's it," he snapped as he marched toward the door. He flung it open with one hand and then pulled Rei up by the arm in one fell swoop. He left her dangling in the air as he glared at her, "What is your problem?!"

Rei's lips quivered and her eyes began to water. "Why are you so mean to me?"

"What? Why are you such a crybaby?!" Zoro shot back.

"I'm crying because you're mean!" Rei wailed.

"I'm not mean. I'm annoyed," Zoro yelled and dropped her to the floor.

He sat heavily back on the bench and let out a loud exasperated sigh. Then he realized that Rei had stopped her loud crying.

"Why…" she sniffled as she wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve, "Why are you annoyed?"

"Because of your constant crying! That's all you seem to do and it's so unlike you!"

"Well, what am I supposed to be like?" Rei asked softly.

"You know...You!" Zoro replied.

"I am me," Rei said and tilted her head to the side.

"You know what I mean," Zoro blustered, "The Know It All. The one who always has something smart to say."

"You think I'm smart?" Rei asked in genuine surprise.

"Of course, idiot!" Zoro said.

Rei was once again confused. "Am I smart or am I an idiot?"

Zoro slapped a hand over his face. "Ugh, this is getting nowhere. Why the hell are you up here? Shouldn't you be downstairs? Have Franky make you a toy or something."

"I...I…"

"Spit it out!"

"Robin said it was nap time so I wanted to pick out a book for her to read me to sleep," Rei said quietly.

"You wanna take a nap?" Zoro asked.

Rei nodded.

Zoro looked up to the heavens for a second and scowled before he let out a defeated sigh. "Alright, go pick out a book. I'll read to you."

"Really?" Rei asked.

"Just go pick out a book before I change my mind," Zoro growled.

Rei hurried over to the bookshelf and pulled out a picture book from Usopp's section of the library. She handed it to Zoro.

"The Legend of the Brave Warrior," Zoro read out loud from the spine and for the first time that day, he smiled at the red head, "Good choice. Alright, lie down and I'll read out loud to you."

To his surprise, she put her head on his lap and stretched the rest of her body along the bench. She shut her eyes and folded her hands over her chest. "Okay, I'm ready. Go."

Zoro cracked open the book and began. "Once upon a time-"

"You have to read the front of the book to start the story," Rei interrupted.

"This is the front of the book."

"No... the cover," Rei insisted.

"Do you want to hear the story or not?"

"Okay...Okay…I'm sorry."

"Damn right you are," Zoro muttered under his breath but went back to the cover anyways, "The Legend of the Brave Warrior by Sogeking...Wait what?!"

"Keep reading," Rei pressed.

"Don't rush me," Zoro grunted and then went back to the first page, "Once upon a time, there was a brave, handsome young boy named Usapp...Seriously?!"

"No side comments," Rei whispered.

"Then that means you can't talk either!" Zoro whispered back.

"Why are you whispering too?"

"Shhh!"

Rei giggled and with her eyes still closed, she missed the bemused grin that tugged on the corner of Zoro's lips as he lifted the book slightly so he can see her childlike expression.

He cleared his throat and went back to reading. "Usapp lived a happy and peaceful life on an island his crew of 100 loyal men. That is, until one day, three cowardly pirates named Laffy, Numi, and ZERO?! I'm going to kill-"

"Stick to the book!"

* * *

Rei opened her eyes and was blinded by the direct sunlight that was shining down on her through the windows. She winced and instinctively covered her hand with her eyes. _That's odd. My bed isn't anywhere near the windows,_ she thought as she slowly lowered her hand to let her eyes adjust, _Actually my bed feels off...Even my pillow feels weird too._

She gasped and sat straight up when the face of the sleeping swordsman formed in front of her eyes. His head was thrown back over the top of the bench with a book covering his eyes.

She looked around her and realized where she was immediately. However, it was lost on her on how exactly she ended up in this place.

Suddenly, the swordsman's snoring stopped and then he let out a little yawn. He sat up and let the book slide off his face on its own while he stretched his arms. Finally he noticed Rei standing in front of him.

"Ah, you're awake," he said, "How was your nap? You dozed off in the middle of the story. Do you want me to finish it."

"You...were...reading...me...a...story?" Rei asked as if he was speaking in another language.

"Yeah, for your nap time," Zoro said as he scratched his side and then yawned again.

"My...what?"

That's when Zoro really looked at her. He stared at her face. _Blank expression...Steady tone...Look in her eyes like_ I'm _the one behaving like a child...Yep...she's back._

"You don't remember anything do you?" Zoro asked.

"Remember what?" Rei asked back.

Zoro stood up and shook his head. "I'll let the pervy cook explain to you about that Ameat fruit."

"Ameathia Fruit," Rei corrected.

 _Yep, definitely back._

"Whatever," Zoro grumbled as he lifted the hatch, "Just go find Curly Brow."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to have a little talk with Usopp..."


	3. Poker Face

**A/N:** Slightly short one because I was challenged to write something that was 1000 words and still convey a good story. This definitely failed (at over 2000 words) but I was too happy with it to just toss it/cut it down. Hope you guys enjoy!

(Also small note, I'm now also on **FictionPress** (also under **duaba** ) so come find me there if you guys are there too!)

* * *

 **Poker Face**

"199...200...201…," Zoro grunted as he swung out a barbell the size of a small shed over and over again. It was a bright and sunny afternoon so the swordsman was on the top deck of the Thousand Sunny, getting some training in while taking advantage of the good weather they were having.

 _Thwack! Thwack!_

On the deck below, Rei stood with her eyes narrowed and one hand stretched out in front of her. Her daggers were lodged firmly into the middle of the wooden targets on the other end of the ship. Rei sprang forward to retrieve them and within a blink of an eye, she returned to her original spot and raised her hands in preparation to throw her daggers out again.

"Look out!"

Out of nowhere, Chopper came tumbling down from the crow's nest above and headed straight for Zoro. Instantly, the swordsman let go of his heavy fitness equipment to catch the reindeer while Robin walked out of the kitchen at the same time, directly under the swordsman.

Zoro's eyes widened when he realized what he had done. "Gah!"

"AH! Robin's about to get crushed!" Usopp screamed from the lawn deck.

"Twin Talon Grip!"

"Dos Manos."

Two large hands sprouted out by Robin's feet and caught the dumbbell just as Rei's two chains wrapped around the handles. Robin smiled calmly up at the tactician. The two hands released the dumbbell and Rei swung the barbell back up at the swordsman, who dropped the reindeer to the floor in order to catch it by the handle.

"Whew, saved!" Usopp breathed as Sanji, Nami, Luffy, and Franky came running out of the kitchen.

"What happened?! Robin-chwan, are you okay?!" the cook demanded.

"Thank goodness," Brook cried out as he returned to tuning his violin on the lawn deck, "That scared me so much. My heart almost jumped out of my chest...Although, I have no heart. Yohoho!"

"Ah, good thing Robin and Rei are both very calm in the face of danger," Usopp sighed as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his arm.

"Actually, I was very scared for Robin," Rei stated, "I wasn't sure if I'd make it in time."

"I was frightened too," Robin added.

"What?!" Usopp shouted incredulously, "But you two didn't even blink! You guys have some serious poker faces!"

That lit a light bulb in Nami's head and she put her hands on her hips. "Why don't we put it to a test then?"

The entire crew looked over at the navigator. "Huh?"

Nami flashed a bold smile and rubbed her hands together. "Let's play poker. Winner takes all."

Rei raised an eyebrow, "Poker?"

Nami nodded. "Do you know how to play, Rei?"

"I know the rules, yes, but I've never actually played myself," Rei admitted.

Nami grinned, "Perfect! You'll have beginners luck then. Want to play?"

"Hold on!" Zoro grunted, "Don't think I can't see through your plan, Nami. You just want to hustle more money out of us."

Nami raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you can't beat me in poker?"

"Alright! Let's play!" Luffy exclaimed, stopping Zoro from responding.

Usopp scratched the back of his head. "Er...Luffy, do you know how to play?!"

"Yep!" Luffy said, "Ace taught me when I was little!"

"I wanna learn. I wanna learn!" Chopper said, hopping from hoof to hoof with excitement.

"Ow! You can super sit with me," Franky shouted, "I'll teach you how to play like a man!"

Rei looked over at Zoro and even though her expression was blank, her eyes were shining with excitement. "My first poker game…"

Zoro crossed his arms and let out a snort. "Fine," he growled, "Let's play."

* * *

Rei studied her cards and then placed them face down on the table. She pushed it towards Brook, who kindly volunteered to be the dealer for this tournament. "I fold," she said, which was met with a disapproving groans from all around her.

She blinked back at her nakama. "What?"

"You've folded every turn, Rei," Usopp said exasperatedly with his single tower of chips in front of him, "You'll need to participate sooner or later."

"I will," Rei said and glanced over at her chips, which was piled into her own private stack. It was worth noting that it was slightly lower than Usopp's.

"I call," Zoro said and tossed in a fistful of chips. He didn't have any stacks. Instead all his chips were in a giant pile in front of him, "And I raise by...however much that is."

"100 bellis," Rei reported without hesitation.

"You think I'm scared of you, you shitty morimo? I call," Sanji replied immediately with his cigarette clenched between his teeth. He shuffled a small tower of chips together with one hand before pushing it in.

Rei raised an eyebrow. Sanji and Zoro's chips were directly proportional to one another. When one was up, the other was down. It seemed they were only keen on getting each other's money.

"OW! You see what they're doing?" Franky said as he lifted his sunglasses and winked at Chopper, "They're trying to play a game of chicken and this big bro is going to call their bluff! I call!"

The cyborg's mini-hand came out of the palm of his bigger one and pushed his chips in front of him.

"Ooh! You're going to go in with all the red cards you have?" Chopper squealed and immediately clamped his hoof over his mouth, "EEK! I'm so sorry!"

"And I fold," Usopp sighed, "I can't beat a flush."

"I fold too," Nami replied, "I'll let you three idiots take each other out."

"I'm all in!" Luffy shouted and pushed his leading pile of chips right in the center.

"Again?!" Usopp gasped.

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughed, "It's not fun if you don't raise the stakes."

"ON EVERY HAND?!" Usopp snapped.

Robin smiled at her captain, "I fold too."

"Well then," Brook said and he looked over at Luffy's chips, "Luffy-san has...let's see...100...200...300…"

"3,475 bellis," Rei stated, "But he has the most chips out of all of us so he can only bet 2250...That is, if Zoro calls him, as he has the second highest chips. Then it would need to be a side bet of 1050 bellis if Franky calls, since Franky and Chopper only have 1200 bellis. That is, if they call...And if Sanji calls, the main bet would only be 500 bellis, since that is the amount he has left."

There was a silence that fell over the group as they all tried to figure out what exactly Rei had just calculated until Zoro slammed his hand down on the table and shoved his chips in the center. "Whatever," he growled and then shot a challenging look at the cook, "I call!"

Sanji took out his cigarette and exhaled a long stream of smoke. "I fold," he stated, "Like Nami-san said, I'll let you idiots take each other out."

"Ow! I fold too," Franky replied and covered his cards, "I got nothing anyways."

"What?!" Usopp shrieked, "So you didn't have a flush?!"

"Just because they were all red, doesn't mean it's all the same suit," Rei replied.

"Eeek! Why did I fold so easily then?!" Usopp wailed.

"Idiot," Nami scoffed, "Even I could tell that Franky planted Chopper to say that."

"I fold too," Robin chuckled as tears streamed down the sniper's face and she turned to the skeleton. "So I believe it's a bet of 2250 bellis then."

Rei reached over and pulled out 1225 bellis worth of chips from Luffy's pile knowing full well he had no clue what was going on with the stakes. "Keep that. The rest goes into the pot."

Luffy picked his nose and looked curiously at Rei, "But I thought I went all in."

"You did. Zoro just doesn't have enough to match you," Rei explained.

"I don't really understand but...okay!" Luffy said and he flipped over his cards, "Full house!"

"Ha! I have four of a kind!" Zoro smiled smugly and turned his four fives and a nine over, "I win."

"Wait! You guys get to trade-" Brook started to say but then Robin placed a hand on the skeleton's shoulders.

"What's done is done," she said with a smile.

"Actually, Zoro," Rei stated and she held up her hand to stop the swordsman from touching the pile, "Luffy wins…"

"WHAT?!" Zoro shouted as he leapt to his feet, "How doe a full house beat-"

"Luffy-san," Brook said politely, "That's not a full house. That's a royal flush…"

All the Straw Hats, except Rei, Robin, and Luffy, all stood up to get a look at Luffy's cards and their eyes widened at the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and ten of spades that rested in front of him.

"But...it's the whole family...Isn't that a full house?" Luffy asked.

"God damn it," Zoro seethed as Sanji happily push his chips away from him and towards Luffy, "Don't touch my chips, you shitty cook!"

'They're not your chips anymore, morimo," Sanji laughed back.

Rei turned to Zoro. "You played too aggressively," she said.

"Shut up, Know It All!" Zoro huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Zoro-san is the first one out," Brook announced.

"We know. We know," Zoro grumbled. He put his hand over his face and grimaced over the fact that he had just lost to the most idiotic poker player in existence. He moved his seat over so that his chair was practically touching Rei's. He leaned back against it and stared over her shoulder as he watched her play.

Much to his annoyance, and the rest of the group's, Rei continuously folded again and again, regardless even if she was small or big blind. Franky and Chopper were taken out by Robin. Sanji lost to Nami without even revealing his hand. He didn't really care either way, but Zoro would bet that the cook had the upper hand but had willingly relinquished his money to the navigator.

Finally, it was just Luffy, Robin, and Rei. Nami took out Usopp by calling out his bluff and then Robin took out Nami after an overeager bet from the navigator when she saw a chance to win Robin's pot.

Rei lifted the corner of her cards and glanced at it before surprising everyone by throwing in her chips to call. She had tilted her cards at an angle so that even Zoro didn't know what she had. Of course her face and body language gave away nothing.

Robin smiled calmly at Rei, "I call."

"All-" Luffy started to say and reached his hand over to his pile of chips, which was smaller than before.

"In," the whole crew finished for him, "We know…"

"Shishishishi!"

Rei took a deep breath and put in her chips as well. "Me too, which means Luffy, if Robin calls, you'll need a sidepot of 2430 bellis."

"What?!"

Rei's nakama gaped at her and she looked blankly back at them. "Because I only have-" she started to explain.

"No! We're not reacting to the sidepot," Zoro snapped, "We're just surprised you're suddenly going all in."

She blinked back at him. "Do you not want me to play?"

Zoro scowled and reached over to her cards. "Of course not. Let me take a look at what you have."

"No. You'll give it away," Rei said and brought her hand down on top of his, flattening his palm against her cards, "You have a tell."

Now it was Zoro's turn to blink back at her. "I do?" he asked, his hand not moving from under hers, "What is it?"

Rei shook her head. "It wouldn't be good sportsmanship if I reveal it to everyone else."

"No! Tell us! Tell us!" Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, and Nami pleaded.

Zoro smirked and slowly drew his hand back to his side, taking the time to notice how surprisingly soft the Know It All's palms were despite all her calluses. "Alright. Tell me later."

Rei nodded and turned to the game at hand. "Robin?"

"I fold," Robin said with a smile and rested her chin on her hand, "Looks like it's just you and Luffy."

"YOSH!" Luffy shouted and flipped his cards over, "What do I have?"

"WAIT! Luffy! You get to trade!" Brook protested for the upteenth time but still falling one second short.

"If you don't know what you have, why are you betting?!" Usopp seethed and then he shrieked when he saw Luffy's hand, "You went all in with only an ace high?!"

"Yay! That means I win!" Luffy cheered.

"HOW?!" Sanji demanded.

Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "Isn't that the rules? Whoever gets the ace automatically wins? That's how Ace taught it to me…"

Three faces met the poker table as Sanji, Usopp, and Nami's head dropped down.

Rei let out a small smile and she got up from her chair. "Luffy wins," she said and pushed her cards into the pile so that they were lost in the mix of discarded cards, "I didn't beat that."

"Huh?!" The Straw Hats gaped at her as she made her way to the door.

"Zoro, if you'd like, I'll tell you what your tell is outside."

Zoro smirked and he pushed his chair back. "Ah," he said and followed her out, ignoring the incredulous look on everyone else's faces.

Rei stood outside, leaning against the railing and she watched as he joined her, standing so close to her that their elbows were touching. "So...what's my tell?" he asked.

"You touch your red katana when you have a bad hand," she said, "You touch your black katana when you have an extremely good one. You touch your white katana when you're unsure of whether or not to fold or call."

Zoro's smirk softened into a small smile and he looked over at the red head. "Oy, Know It All," he said, "That last hand. You folded on purpose, didn't you?"

Rei nodded. "I had a pair of kings...My win is not worth tainting Luffy's memory of his brother for."

She then turned to him and looked at him curiously. "How did you know? Do I have a tell?"

"Idiot," Zoro said as he straightened up and headed back to his work out, "I can always tell with you."

* * *

 _Sidenote, Luffy ended up winning the whole pot because the historian let Chopper play for her on her last hand._


	4. the Wrong Side of the Bed

**A/N:** This was written as a prompt for a flash fic ( 1000 words) challenge. (993. just made the cut!)

* * *

"Zoro! Wake up!"

"Huh?"

 _Wham!_

"Gahhhhhhh!" Luffy clutched the front of his forehead where it had collided with the same part of Zoro's, albeit Luffy's head was upside down, "That hurt!"

"What the hell, Luffy?!" Zoro roared. He kept his head bowed as he swung his legs over the side of his bed. He planted his feet on the ground and tried to breathe through the pain. "Did you coat your forehead with Haki or something? Your head was hard as hell!"

"Shishishi. Sorry," Luffy shouted as he righted himself up and jumped off his top bunk, "I didn't expect you to turn this way. You usually wake up on the other side of the bed."

"Yeah, well, you usually don't poke your head down and scream into my ear," Zoro grunted. He rubbed a hand over his eyes, "What's the deal, Luffy?"

"Shishishi. Did you forget? Today is a big day!" Luffy grinned.

"What? Is it Christmas?" Zoro asked.

"Nope."

"Your birthday."

"Nope."

"Someone else's birthday."

"Nope."

Without moving his head, Zoro's hand shot out and grabbed Luffy by the vest. He pulled the rubber man dangerously close to him. "Then what is it?" he snarled.

"Shishishishi. Today is the day we get to have the barbecued Sea King!" Luffy cheered, "Sanji said it would take two days to marinate and today is the day!"

Zoro's hand released Luffy's clothes. He suddenly lost the will to fight or even shout at his idiotic, simple minded, meat obsessed captain. "Just...get out, Luffy."

"Huh? Zoro, don't you get it?" Luffy asked, confused by the swordsman's lack of enthusiasm, "Today is-"

"I get it! Meat! Meat! It's all about the meat!" Zoro shouted, his head finally popping up along with the vein in his neck, "God! Just get out and go eat it already!"

"Okay!" Luffy said brightly and rushed off, reaching out an arm to shake the other bunk beds he passed, "Wake up, guys! Wake up! It's meat day! It's meat day!"

The remaining sleeping Straw Hats started to appear from beneath their blankets and they blinked sleepily at their captain's back. Usopp, who slept on the bottom bunk next to Zoro, turned towards the swordsman. "What's up with Luffy?" he asked groggily.

"Hell if I knew!" Zoro roared. The violent aura that exuded out of the swordsman woke Usopp up and made all the hairs on his body stick straight up, including his usual curly black hair.

"Eeeek," Usopp whimpered, cowering into his pillow, "What's gotten into you, Zoro? You wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"Ask Luffy!" Zoro snapped and stood up sharply. In his haste, the top of his skull cracked against the bottom of Luffy's bed, "Mother of-"

"Ow! Let's super get out of here, bros," Franky said with a smile, still clad in a blue and yellow rubber ducky printed pajamas. He ushered Chopper and Usopp out of the room, "Give Zoro some breathing room."

"I don't need to breathe," Zoro huffed with his back turned to the room, "I need to switch bunkmates."

"Er, Zoro-san?"

"WHAT?!" Zoro spun around to glare at the skeleton and he whacked his face against the side of Luffy's bed, "Holy-"

"I was just wondering if you wanted us to save you some breakfast," Brook said kindly while backing away slowly towards the door.

"No! Don't do anything for me. Don't talk to me. Don't even look at me. Just get out!" Zoro thundered and Brook hurriedly rushed off, shutting the door behind him, "AND TELL THE OTHERS TO LEAVE ME ALONE TOO!"

Zoro sank to his knees and put his head in between it. It felt like he was experiencing the world's worst hangover but with no previous night of drinking, which made it that much worse.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"What did I just say, Brook?!"

"It's not Brook. It's me…"

Zoro heaved a heavy sigh and rubbed a hand over his face again. "Not now, Know It All," he groaned and then buried his face into both his hands.

"I'm having a really bad day," he mumbled into them.

He heard the door creak open and cautious squeaking of the floor boards. Behind his fingers, Zoro fought the urge to let out a smile despite his foul mood. The Know It All was quieter than that and always moved quicker too so he knew she was doing this deliberately. She was giving him a chance to tell her off.

"What do you want, Know It All?" he asked, his voice less gruff than before.

The footsteps stilled. "Did you forget that today was-?"

"Meat day. Yeah, I know," he said as he dropped his hands and started to stand back up, unknowingly pushing his bed back a little as he did so, "Just because Luffy's excited about it doesn't make it a big deal. You should-"

 _Thwack!_

He turned in surprise to see Rei standing between him and the swinging bunk bed, holding it just inches away from colliding into his face.

"You should be more careful. Bunk beds can be dangerous," Rei stated calmly and then she looked at him, "And I'm not sure what you mean by Meat Day. What is Meat Day?"

"Not important. What day is it today then?" he asked.

"You said you would teach me how to care for my blades today," Rei said with a frown, "Do you not remember? You are the expert when it comes to sword care after all."

"Ah. Right. I remember now," Zoro said, a casual smirk curling up on his lips. He took the three katanas that were leaning against the corner of the room and then headed for the door.

Rei blinked back at him. Unsure of what his answer could mean. "So...does this mean you'll help me? Or Is today not a good day?"

"No," Zoro said without looking back, "Today is a good day."


	5. Pain in the Neck

**A/N: Thank you anonymous guest for the prompt!** ("Can you do a one shot where Zoro gets jealous of Law & Rie hanging out?")

* * *

Nami gazed out the kitchen window as she took a bite of her breakfast sandwich. In her opinion, the weather was exceptional today. The winds would be mild but enough to push the sails of the Thousand Sunny at a steady pace. The sun was bright but not blinding and the cloud patterns indicated that there would be no disturbances for them for at least the next couple of hours. Of course, maybe she was being overly optimistic about the climate outside since currently, within the walls of the kitchen, a storm was brewing.

She moved her eyes to the farthest corner while keeping her face forward. She studied the scowling swordsman as he chugged down an entire mug of steaming hot green tea. Then the navigator's gaze moved to the redhead that was seated at the other end of the table, the source of the swordsman's anger. Or at least, one of the two sources.

The tactician was oblivious to the swordsman's rage as she chatted quietly with the former Warlord that the Straw Hat Pirates had just recently allied with. He was the second recipient of the swordsman's death glares but Nami was sure Law was not ignorant of the swordsman's mood. Law was deliberately ignoring Zoro while having a pleasant conversation with Rei.

 _Bam!_

The sudden sound of Zoro's mug slamming into the hard wooden table shocked the crew's sniper and he almost choked on his own breakfast. The reindeer had to smack Usopp hard on the back a couple of times to dislodge the piece of sandwich.

"Oy," Zoro growled, staring darkly at Rei, "What is the meaning of this?"

Rei paused in mid sentence to Law and she turned her head towards Zoro. She tilted her head to the side. "Of what?" she asked.

"I thought we were training together again this morning," he said, "Or were you not serious about strengthening yourself?"

"As much as I would like to continue following your effective physical regiment," Rei responded, "Something important came up that I must attend to."

"With Tra-guy?" Zoro asked, not happy that the redhead had specifically moved her seat to sit next to the Heart Pirate when Law came in for breakfast.

"Yes," Rei replied and then was about to return to her conversation with Law when Zoro caught her attention again.

"What? What is so important?" Zoro barked.

Rei paused for a moment with a contemplative frown. She looked around the table at her nakama, Kin'emon, Momonosuke, and finally back at Zoro. "It is a sensitive matter that I would rather not bring attention to."

"What? Are you sick?" Zoro asked bluntly, "Because Chopper could-"

"My health is fine," Rei interrupted and turned to Law, "But it is a matter I can only discuss with you, Trafalgar Law."

Law nodded. "Yes, it does sound pretty serious," he said before purposefully locking eyes with Zoro and getting up from his seat, "Should we talk privately outside, Rei-ya? Just you and I?"

Zoro's hands went straight to his katanas and Rei flashed her green eyes at him. She studied his face and then his weapons before returning her eyes to his. "Are you bothered by this, Zoro?" she asked point blank.

Zoro very visibly bristled. "OF COURSE NOT!" he thundered, "Why the hell would I care?!"

"Oh," Rei said and nodded, "That's what I thought too."

"Shall we, Rei-ya?" Law asked smoothly as he opened the kitchen door for her.

Zoro nearly flipped the table as he watched her leave. He slammed his hands on the table and then flinched from a sharp pain in his neck. He grimaced and then pressed three of his fingers against the aching tendon. He had pushed himself a little too far during an earlier workout and it must've strained his shoulder muscle. He didn't really feel it when he was doing any heavy lifting, though The discomfort seemed to only occur when he was annoyed or stressed, which more often than not revolved around Know It All. He should've known it was only a matter of time that she would become a pain in his neck.

"Oy, marimo, if you're done eating then get out of my kitchen. You're making everyone else lose their appetite," the other pain in Zoro's life said.

The swordsman swiftly got up to his feet and glared at the cook. "Don't tell me what to do, Curly Brow!"

"Oh? Then why the hell are you staying in here for? For more food? For a light chat?" Sanji demanded, "Get the hell out and go do some pushups or something."

Zoro grabbed for his katanas but before he could even pull him out, he was sent flying out the door from a hard punch across the face by the navigator. "Sanji-kun is right! Geez! Just let us eat in peace!" Nami commanded.

"Ahhh, Nami-san is beautiful when she's beating up that shitty swordsman!" Sanji cried as the kitchen door swung shut on Zoro.

The swordsman rubbed his jaw and then moved his hand to his shoulder. His harsh landing had only aggravated his mild injury. He shook his head and got up to his feet. The shoulder ache reminded him that he was not at his best. He needed to train more.

Now was not the time to be fixated on the Know It All. If she wasn't there to train with him, it was her fault. He wasn't going to go lax on his own regiment just because she wasn't there. Still, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but admit it was pleasant to have someone work out next to him.

It wasn't the company that he liked. In fact, they barely spoke to each other. Only exchanging words when counting up the reps and sets and when moving onto the next exercise. It was just nice for Zoro to be working next to someone who took training just as seriously as he did and shared the value of discipline.

At least, that's what he originally thought of the Know It All but to blow him off without warning to spend time with the Warlord? And what kind of delicate matter could it be?! Since when did she have secrets from the crew? From him? They had practically spent every morning and afternoon together in physical training so why didn't she mention anything to him during that time?

Zoro's mood only worsened by these thoughts as he climbed up the rope ladder that led to the crow's nest. The pain in his neck flared up once more and he paused from ascending to wait for it to subside.

A bright red color caught his eye and he turned to look. Then, he almost fell off the ladder.

The redhead was on the lawn deck below, standing near the foremast talking to Law, who had a hand on her shoulder. The former Warlord's back was turned to the swordsman so he could only see Rei's face. Her eyes were slightly widened and she was captivated at whatever Law was saying. It was a break from her usual blank expression and a look that Zoro did not appreciate in the slightest.

Zoro opened his mouth and was about to shout at them when Law took a step closer to her. The swordsman watched as Law's hand moved from her shoulder to her neck, almost cupping the bottom of her face, and then his other hand moved to hold the other side of her neck. Her head tilted up as he did so and his hands moved towards the back of her neck, drawing her in even closer. A blush came to Rei's cheeks with her eyes still unmoving from Law. Zoro found himself at a loss of words but with a heightened levelled of rage that he never knew he had in him.

"Ah, Zoro. Are you going to your work out?"

Zoro reacted as if he was caught in a lie and he hurriedly tore his gaze away from the Know It All to stare down at the historian, who was busy watering her garden at the bottom of the rope ladder. He didn't even notice Robin was there. Had she been there the entire time?

"Ah," he grunted.

"You're dedication to your regiment is admirable," Robin said and then her eyes caught the movements below deck, "Oh! Is that Rei and Law? I wonder what they're doing? When did they get so close?"

Her words made Zoro stiffen, followed by another ache this time around the neck and shoulder, but he refused to acknowledge to the historian that he cared in the slightest. Even more so, he was adamant about not turning around to see what exactly that Know It All was now doing with that obnoxious Heart Pirate. Both of them were equally vexing and maddening to be around.

 _Those two Know It Alls deserve each other,_ he thought with a grimace which was supposed to placate his mood but somehow only enhanced his displeasure.

Then Robin's ever observing eyes moved back to the swordsman and she smiled at him, "Are you waiting for Rei?"

Her words hit too close to home and Zoro could feel steam coming out of his ears. "NO! Who cares about that Know It All?" he shouted and rapidly climbed up the rope ladder to the crow's nest.

The latch slammed shut and Robin laughed against her hand. She went back to flowering her plants and it wasn't long before the red hair appeared on the deck too She waved awkwardly at Robin, who smiled back at her, and then Robin watched as Rei quietly scaled up the ladder after Zoro. Robin said nothing but somewhere along the foremast, her clone ear disappeared into a handful of petals.

Zoro was concentrating hard on his meditation, which is usually how he started all of his work outs. A steady mind, after all, would breed a steady body. However, he was anything but steady at the moment.

His breathing was entirely out of sync. He was inhaling for three seconds but then snorting it all out in a heated blast right after. His heart was pounding and his body was heated. He was trying to relax but everything in his body was strained. _To hell with the Know It All,_ he thought, _And to hell with Tra-guy. I don't care about what those two do together. If she wants to run off with him and be part of the Heart Pirates, so be it. If she likes him so much, she could just -_

His whole body jerked and his eye flew open at the sudden sensation of two hands on his shoulder. He gaped at the Know It All, who was kneeling in front of him with a solemn expression. His attention was on her face but she wasn't looking back at his. Her attention was a couple inches lower than that.

Their knees were touching but Zoro didn't notice that at all. His attention was on the pressure her fingers and palm were exerting over his shoulder muscle as they began to massage it. Instantly, relief took over his body and replaced the anger that was charging through him just seconds ago.

"What are you doing?" he asked gruffly.

"You pulled it, didn't you? Right here?" she asked back and then slid her hand up to the side of his neck. Her fingers rubbed against the tendons along his neck and he could feel the sensation all the way down to his fingertips. Instinctively, his chin lifted slightly to give her better access. Then his eyes widened when he realized he was mirroring what she had done with Law.

"Law says that as a sword user, there's tendency to strain this area," she said as she slid a finger gently down his neck and across his shoulder to show him all the connecting nerves and muscles that could be affected.

For the second time that day, Zoro found it hard to speak but this time it was out of something positive. He had to clear his throat a couple of times and even then he needed a brief moment to find actual words to say. "Is...Is that what you were...speaking to Law about?"

"Ah," Rei nodded, fixated on hitting all the right pressure points, "I needed his expertise not just on the human body but also as a swordsman himself. Although, he is not in the same caliber in terms of swordsmanship as you so I can only assume the strain on yours is much worse."

Then she leaned a bit closer, not noticing the puff of pride that swelled in Zoro's chest. She moved her head to the side of his so she could see the back of his neck. "Law said that if you pay attention to these pressure points, it should help," she asked and he could feel her breath on his skin. Her brow was furrowed as she concentrated hard on what she was doing, "Is that okay? Does it feel better?"

"Ah," he said, feeling sensation of another kind, "So the delicate matter was-"

"I didn't think you'd want the others to know that you're not at peak shape. It would only worry them, especially since we're about to arrive at Dressrosa," Rei finished and then she leaned back so she could look at him, "Was that not right?"

"No…" Zoro said gruffly, "You were right."

Then a light blush came back to Rei's cheeks. It was the same look she had flashed at Law. "Am I helping?" she asked, her eyes clouding with concern, "Or am I being too intrusive? I know you usually like to handle things in private so I was-"

Zoro smirked. "You were worried about bothering me, Know It All?"

Rei nodded. "I've been training with you all this time but Usopp had mentioned that you used to work out alone before I came along. You never said I could join you and at the same time, I never said thank you for allowing me to come into your space...So…I guess what I'm trying to say is that...That..."

Zoro's eyebrow raised with amusement. The Know It All only rambled when she felt embarrassed or unsure of something and she only seemed to do that around him. He reached behind his head and grabbed her hands, stopping them for just a moment. "Is this your way of thanking me, Know It All?" he asked.

"Ah."

"Idiot," he scoffed, "This isn't my space. The crow's nest is communal. You didn't need to thank me."

"Law thought it was unnecessary for me to show my gratitude too," Rei admitted and she felt Zoro's fingers tighten around hers.

"Listen, Know It All," Zoro growled, "The next time you have any questions or issues about me, you come to me, understand? Not to Law."

"But this was a medical-" Rei started to point out.

"I don't care. It's my body. I know it better," Zoro said stubbornly, "In fact, come to me for everything first. Don't go to him."

"But-"

"Idiot! I'm your nakama," Zoro practically shouted into her face, "How are you going to turn to the captain of another pirate crew before coming to me?"

Rei tilted her head to the side and after a moment of contemplation she nodded. "That makes sense."

"So no Law?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No Law," Rei said with a nod. She started to pull her hands back but realized that Zoro had not loosened his hold one bit. "Zoro? May I have my hands back?"

"No," Zoro said as he flattened her fingers around his neck, "I can still feel pain here. If you're going to thank me, thank me properly."

"Oh. Of course," Rei replied and continued to work out the kinks along his neck and shoulders, "But don't mind me. You're starting your meditation, right? Please continue."

 _Idiot,_ Zoro thought as he closed his eyes and drew in a well-paced breath, _How do you expect me to concentrate while doing that?_


	6. Head over Heels

**A/N:** Combined two prompts from IvyBane444 & Sam: an obstacle course and a "fashion" show. Thanks for the suggestion!

This takes place right after Zoro & the Mask and right before R: Road to my Nakama.

* * *

 _If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy-_

"KYAAA! So cute!"

Nami's squeal pierced through the air and shattered the tactician's concentration for the third time. Rei sighed and moved her eyes back to the top of the page.

 _If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself-_

"Robin! Want to see what I got?!"

Rei closed her eyes. She inhaled a slow breath through her nose. _1...2...3…_

Then she breathed it out of her mouth. _3...2...1…_

She closed the book in her lap and looked to the queen bed that Robin and Nami shared. She folded her hands over the blanket that was covering her and she stared at the back of the two female pirates' heads.

Robin and Nami had just spent a day of shopping on a quiet island. Rei was left to rest on the ship since her wounds were barely closed. The tactician didn't mind as she preferred to read. Judging from the mound of clothes and accessories that her roommates had dumped on their bed, Rei was confident she made the right choice. She wouldn't have enjoyed the shopping.

Nami picked up a pair of red stilettos and she held them up excitedly for the historian to see. "Look! Look! Don't you just love the color?!"

"Yes," Robin said as she reached out to touch the patent leather, "And the style is very elegant."

Rei stared at the shoes and she tilted her head to the side. "What is it's purpose?" she asked.

"Eh?" Both Robin and Nami turned to look at the red head, whose green eyes were fixed on the red shoes.

"It's purpose?" Nami repeated, "For style! Of course!"

"But…" Rei said with a frown, "Wouldn't it be better off as a weapon rather than footwear?"

"Weapon?" Robin repeated and she looked amusingly at the girl, "How so?"

"Well, the heel is very sharp," Rei said, "So I assume Nami bought it so that in the future she can throw it and use it to attack if needed?"

"Of course that's not why I bought it!" Nami seethed, "I bought it because it was pretty!"

Rei was genuinely shocked by the navigator's words and she peered at the navigator as if trying to figure out whether or not Nami had lost her mind. "But...Nami, I would think as someone who values money, you would know better than to waste it on something like that."

"YOU THINK I WASTED MONEY?!" Nami shrilled, "I'll have you know that I got this on discount _and_ I was able to bring down the price by another 100 bellis!'

"How much did you pay for it then?" Rei asked.

"250 bellis," Nami said proudly.

"That's 240 more than I would pay," Rei said and went back to her book, "Considering you can't handle it."

 _If you know the enemy and know yourself-_

Suddenly, Nami's hand slammed onto the page and blocked Rei from reading any further. Rei lifted her head and she batted her eyes at the navigator. "Yes?"

"What do you mean I can't handle it?" Nami demanded.

"Whenever you wear heels, your legs tremble and you tend to lose your balance easily. I think you'll need to build up your leg muscles as well as your core strength," Rei said.

Nami grabbed Rei by the collar. "Wearing heels is a status symbol for a woman, you stupid jock! Since you're no more a lady than Zoro is, I doubt you can even take three steps in ANY heels."

"You won't be able to take two in the ones you bought," Rei replied calmly back.

"WHAT?!" Nami roared.

"Why don't we test it out then and see?" Robin asked with an amused grin.

The tactician and the navigator looked at their roommate. "Eh?"

* * *

"Yosh! Take your marks…" Usopp shouted as he held up two checkered flags in his hands. Robin and Brook flanked his sides.

Nami stepped one heeled foot back and leaned slightly over the white line, painted across the helm of the Thousand Sunny. It was both the starting and finishing line. She eyed Rei in the corner of her eye and tried to mimic the tactician's starting position as close as she could. Her feet were already killing her in these new shoes but she wasn't going to show it at all on her face, especially since Rei was looking unaffected on her end.

"Get set…" Usopp continued.

Nami gritted her teeth and placed pressure on her front foot.

"G-" Usopp started to call.

"GOOOOOO!" Luffy shouted up from the crow's nest, the spectator's box that housed him and Franky.

The navigator and tactician sprinted forward with their heels clicking onto the wooden floorboards to their first checkpoint, the stairs that led down to the lawn deck.

 _Click. Click. Click. Click._

"This is so stupid," Zoro scoffed as he leaned against the bannister on the portside, "What is the point of this?"

"GO, NAMI-SAN! GO, REI-CHAN! You can do it!" Sanji cheered directly across from the swordsman, waving red flags with small pink hearts in the center.

"Pick a side!" Zoro shouted as the girls made their way to the grass.

"AH!" Rei gasped as her heel sunk right into the soft soil and she fell forward while the navigator took a significant lead, "Oh no!"

 _Thwack!_

Zoro caught her right by the waist while grabbing one of her hands to hold her up.

 _Beep!_

A whistle came from the reindeer, who was sporting a black and white striped shirt along with his usual pink top hat. "Interference!" Chopper called out and raised a yellow card, "5 second penalty!"

"OY! You're a doctor!" Zoro snapped, "What's going to happen if the Know It All's wounds opened up during the fall?"

"Ah! You're right!" Chopper screeched, "2 second penalty!"

"JUST END THIS GAME!" Zoro demanded.

"I can do this," Rei said as she righted herself up and pushed Zoro away, "But I appreciate your concern."

"OW! The super challengers had cleared the Stairwell of Stability with equal time but it seems Challenger Rei has some difficulty during the Meadows of Mushiness," Franky announced from the crow's nest, as he lifted his sunglasses up to get a better look.

"No! Not the Meadows of Mushiness!" Luffy cried, pressing his hands to his cheeks.

"What kind of names are those?!" Usopp couldn't help but lecture but he was ignored as the cyborg continued to narrate.

"OW! And it super looks like Challenger Nami has made her way to the Incline of Insanity!"

"The what?!" Even Zoro was exasperated by the name as they looked over at the navigator, who was shakily trying to crawl up the slide in her heels.

Rei carefully stepped her way through the lawn and towards the navigator, who was having a very hard time with the slippery slide that the sniper had doused in soapy water for good measure. By the time the navigator reached the top, the tactician was already at the bottom.

Nami got to her feet and she smiled victoriously at Rei. "Ha. If you can't even walk through grass, there's no way you can get up here. I'm going to win!"

Rei didn't even bat an eye. She just lifted her foot and plunged her heel straight down into the slide.

 _Thwack!_

It broke through the smooth surface and created a hold for Rei. She looked up at the stunned navigator. "You better go," she said calmly, "Because I'm about to catch up to you."

"EEK!" Nami shrieked as she hurriedly moved to the next checkpoint.

"AHHH! WHAT DID YOU SUPER DO TO MY SLIDE?!" Franky shouted from above.

"You said we could do whatever we wanted!" Rei shouted back as she lodged her other foot in the same way.

"I meant for the preparation!" Franky yelled just as Rei got herself to the top.

From the lawn deck, Zoro rubbed his chin and he couldn't help but grin at the trail of holes Rei had left behind on the slide. "Okay fine," he admitted, mostly to himself, "This is kinda entertaining."

Rei raced around the stern of the ship towards the rope ladder that led straight up to the observation room. Nami was already halfway up the ladder and Rei couldn't help but smile. She scurried up the rope ladder, not even bothering to use her feet and just using her arm strength alone. She flew past the navigator, hit the bottom of the closed latch door, and then quickly climbed back down.

When Rei reached the bottom of the rope ladder, she stood there and stared at Nami.

"WHAT?!" the navigator seethed, not liking the fact that she had just lost the lead.

"Well, you waited for me at the slide," Rei said, "I just wanted to reciprocate that gesture."

"I don't need you charity!" Nami grunted as she continued to climb up the ladder.

"Okay," Rei replied and then dashed off.

"AH! What a super plot twist! Challenger Rei had vandalized the Incline of Insanity to close the gap between her and Challenger Nami! Then she flew up the Rope Ladder of Righteousness like a super monkey to take the lead."

"Her last name is Cogan!" Luffy huffed.

Franky stared at his captain. "I know that."

"Then she's a Super Cogan! Not a super Monkey!"

"Idiot," Franky, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp all muttered to themselves as Rei got to her final checkpoint right at the helm where the finish line was.

Sanji stood there with a rose clenched between his teeth and his hand out to her. "May I have this dance, Mademoiselle?" he asked as Brook began to play on his violin.

Rei nodded and slid her hand to his. He put his hand at her waist.

"REMEMBER! 10 full spins!" Referee Chopper called out as Sanji began to spin her, "And then you have to walk past the finish line yourself without falling!"

"Okay," Rei said. Her eyes staring intently on Sanji so that she had a point to focus on and wouldn't get dizzy, "One..."

She felt her foot slip a little and her hand tightened around Sanji's arm to complete the spin.

"Two..."

On the second spin, her ankle rolled slightly and she tilted to the left but Sanji seemed to notice because his hand tightened around his waist and he easily righted her up without even breaking his stride.

"Thr-"

Just as Sanji began to start the third spin, she felt his arm leave her waist and she spun outward. She gasped just as she turned right into Zoro's chest. He grabbed her to him with one hand while still holding Sanji's elbow with the other. He glared at the cook.

"I'll spin her," he growled.

The blonde raised a curled eyebrow but said nothing as he yanked his arm away from the swordsman's hold. He didn't appreciate this rude interruption but at the same time, how often did the marimo actually take part in the group's ridiculous antics? He released his hold on Rei's free hand and shrugged at the swordsman.

"All yours," Sanji said.

 _Beep!_

Referee Chopper was at the ready. "Interference! That's-"

"It's not interference if Nami needs someone to spin her too, right?!" Zoro called out as he grabbed Rei's hand and positioned himself to resemble the cook as closely as he could remember.

"He's right, Chopper," said Robin, the judge and creator of the Heel Games. She pointed at Nami, who was making her way over, "Sanji can twirl Nami while Zoro can spin Rei. No penalty."

"Oh...Okay. Continue!" the referee announced.

Zoro started to circle around and around without even pausing. He kept his eyes somewhere behind Rei while her eyes were locked on him. His hold was a lot different than Sanji's. He was stiffer. His spins were faster and harsher but yet Rei preferred this way rather than the cook's. Zoro's movements might not be as refined but they were stronger and more purposeful.

"You're not counting," Zoro murmured. His good eye finally moving to look at Rei's.

"Oh," was all Rei could say as she looked up at him.

"TEN! I WIN!" Nami said gleefully.

Zoro stiffened and he looked over at the navigator, as she dizzyingly crossed the finish line. "Shit," he grunted, "I lost you the game."

Rei shook her head and she smiled at him. "It's not your fault. I was the one who wasn't counting," she said.

"I win! I win! I win!" Nami cried as she jumped up and down in her heels.

Rei winced just by looking at the navigator's movements. "Besides," she said as she let go of Zoro's hand and bent down to take off the torture device on her feet, "I didn't do this to win."

"Oh? Why did you do this then?" Zoro asked as he watched her fish around for the buckle, wincing slightly from the additional pressure she was putting on her other foot.

"Robin said it was a game that we could all take part in," Rei replied as she finally found the buckle and released the first strap of her shoes, "And I thought you could use a bit of fun. You've been in the observation deck working out this entire time and the crew seemed to have really missed seeing- EH?!"

Suddenly, Rei found herself being thrown over the swordsman's shoulder.

"Z-Zoro! What are you-"

"I'm having fun," Zoro said as he ripped off her shoes with just his bare hands and then threw them right in the cook's face.

"What the hell, you shitty marimo?!" Sanji shouted, ducking to avoid getting a heel in the eye.

"AH! Those were my shoes! Zoro, you better pay for those!" Nami shrieked.

"Worth it," Zoro grinned.


End file.
